Sami Hamdi on way home to UK after weeks in ICE detention
Sami Hamdi is on a plane to return to London after more than two weeks in US immigration detention.
The political commentator was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at San Francisco International airport on October 26 after traveling there for a speaking tour.
His family confirmed on Thursday that he was about to return to the UK. They said in a statement it was a “huge relief”.
“The US government agreed to allow him to leave voluntarily, without a deportation order or any allegations.
“While we welcome this development, we want to underscore that no family should have to go through what we went through: Sami was in the United States with a valid visa when he was abducted and detained by ICE, despite committing no crime.”
The family said Mr Hamdi had been “living in appalling conditions” since his detention and was rooming with 80 to 90 people.
“All this because journalist, political commentator and human rights defender Sami spoke out against Israel’s genocide of Palestinians in Gaza. Sami should never have spent even one night in a cell.”
Mr Hamdi is expected to land at Heathrow on Thursday afternoon. His family said he would continue to defend the rights of Palestinians.
“As we await the return of our wife, son and father to the UK, we hold all political prisoners held by ICE in our hearts,” the statement said. “He will never be intimidated by silence.
“The US government revoked his visa without notifying him and began using this as justification to detain him. In reality, there was nothing wrong with Sami; he was targeted for his legally protected freedom of expression. Otherwise, they would not have offered voluntary repatriation.”
The statement said the family was “deeply concerned” about the future of free expression in the US and called on the UK government to “re-evaluate its approach and step up efforts to secure the safe release of its citizens, including when they are detained by their allies”.
The California chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-CA), whose lawyers challenged Mr. Hamdi’s arrest in federal court, argued that he was arrested because of his support for Palestine and that he was “punished for criticizing Israel, not for any alleged wrongdoing.”
According to his legal team, Mr Hamdi accepted an offer to leave the US voluntarily after being accused of overstaying his visa. But they said Mr Hamdi should never have been detained and claimed “anti-Muslim and pro-Israel extremists” were pressuring the US government to detain him.
Mr Hamdi is managing director of The International Interest, a global risk and intelligence company, and has appeared as an analyst and commentator on British TV networks.
US officials have previously said comments made by Mr. Hamdi, 35, after a Hamas attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, glorified violence.
